Player Updates

Gabbert was released by the Titans on March 15 after the team traded for Ryan Tannehill as its new backup to Marcus Mariota. The 29-year-old quarterback will now be reunited with Bucs coach Bruce Arians, who oversaw an ugly five-week stretch from Gabbert late in the 2017 season with Arizona. The Buccaneers will let Gabbert duke it out with Ryan Griffin for the No. 2 quarterback job behind Jameis WInston.

The Titans informed Gabbert of his release Friday, Paul Kuharsky of 104.5 The Zone Nashville reports.

Gabbert won two of his three starts in 2018, but he managed just 6.2 yards per pass attempt and had four interceptions on 101 throws. His fate with the Titans was sealed once the team agreed to a trade for Ryan Tannehill, who now slots in as the No. 2 quarterback behind Marcus Mariota. The 29-year-old Gabbert should find another opportunity to compete for a backup job soon enough.

Gabbert completed 18 of 29 pass attempts for 165 yards, a touchdown and a pair of interceptions in Sunday's 33-17 loss to the Colts.

The Titans asked Gabbert to save their season with Marcus Mariota (elbow) unable to play, but the veteran backup was stifled by the Colts' underrated defense. The 29-year-old spent most of the night hitting his check-down options, which shouldn't come as a surprise given his "game-manager" style. When he was asked to bring the team back from behind, that's when things got ugly. One of his interceptions was especially poor, as it was nowhere near his intended target and hit a Colt defender in the chest. Gabbert definitely looked like a backup in this one, and that is likely to be his ceiling next season.

Gabbert will start Sunday night's game against the Colts, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

He gets the nod for the the Titans' win-or-go home contest, with Marcus Mariota (neck/foot) inactive for the contest. Austin Davis will serve as Gabbert's backup Sunday. A run-heavy attack featuring Derrick Henry seems like a plausible scenario for Tennessee in the team's regular-season finale.

Gabbert is expected to draw the starting assignment Sunday against the Colts with Marcus Mariota (neck) unlikely to be available for the contest, Chris Mortensen of ESPN reports.

Mariota suffered a neck stinger in the Titans' Week 16 win over the Redskins that left him "numb and tingly" afterwards, in the quarterback's own words. He only managed two limited practices this week to take a questionable tag into Sunday, and though he's set to go through a pregame warmup prior to the 8:20 p.m. EST kickoff before his status is decided, the Titans are inclined to err on the side of caution. According to the report, an independent spine specialist has warned the Titans that allowing Mariota to play through the injury would put his ability to throw the football at significant risk beyond this week, so the Titans will more than likely heed that advice and turn to Gabbert for his second start of the season. Given the limitations as a passer Gabbert has shown both this season and since entering the NFL in 2011, he'll likely act mainly as a game manager so long as the game flow allows for it, with Tennessee expected to lean heavily on a ground-heavy attack with a playoff berth at stake.